Christian Democratic Party of Chile

The Christian Democratic Party is a Christian democratic political party in Chile that was founded in 1957. The party was founded as the result of a schism within the Conservative Party of Chile, with the dissenting Christian elements of the party breaking off to form a more centrist-oriented party. The Christian Democratic Party adhered to social conservatism and supported traditional Catholic viewpoints, but it supported Third Way economics as a way to bridge the gap between laissez-faire capitalism and socialism, and it had leftist sentimental values. For instance, the party opposed the re-election of the dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1988 and formed coalitions with the Socialist Party of Chile, the Communist Party of Chile, and other leftist parties as a part of the Nueva Mayoria coalition. In 2017, the party held 21/120 Chamber of Deputies seats, 6/38 Senate seats, 44/278 Regional Board seats, 55/345 mayorships, and 388/2,224 communal council seats.